Growth & Grace

Wesley Knight 0:00
This is a Kun V studios original program. The following program is underwritten by Crawford management group, Tiffany Lloyd consulting and Chris glow, and does not reflect the views or opinions of 91.5 Jasmine Moore the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, or the Board of Regents of the Nevada System of Higher Education even

Unknown Speaker 0:19
better than I was the last time, baby, we back, we back and we back and

Speaker 1 0:37
we back and we back and we back and we back, we back.

Leaha Crawford 0:49
Hey, this is Leah Crawford. My guest host, Tiffany Lloyd, is not here today. You are listening to growth and grace. It's Saturday morning, January, 2025 I can't believe it. Wow. It's been an amazing January. It's been quiet, getting ready for tax season and looking forward to the guests that we have in here with us today. Have you ever heard about a debt free college education? I mean really, a debt free no student loans. No student loans. College education. I'm talking about undergrad, graduate school, debt free. Well, if you haven't heard of it, I will tell you turn your radio up, because we're gonna have a conversation about it today, because I have Dr Rhea Watson in the studio with me today. Hey, free. Hey, how's it going amazing.

Speaker 2 1:44
I'm so happy to be back and to see you in your busy time. Bless you.

Leaha Crawford 1:51
Bless me. Hey, Bless me. Bless me. Get it all done and get it all done. I get it all done. So first thing, who is Dr Rhea Watson,

Speaker 2 2:00
Well, besides the scholarship doctor helping students of all ages, we say from zero to 99 the womb to the tomb, the womb to tomb, birth to death, cradle to college. Just to make sure we help and sure you cover everybody. People understand. Rhea, am I 40? Can I get a scholarship? Yes, if I'm 90, can I get a scholarship? Yes. Do I have one year old? Can they get a scholarship? Yes. So that is who I am. I am helping students of all ages to go to college for free, or as close to that as possible. And it's a blessing. I love it.

Speaker 3 2:36
When did you start this business? What made you start that this type of business? Because this is a unique

Leaha Crawford 2:41
niche.

Speaker 2 2:42
It is definitely a niche business. And I have a talk that's coming up to, like, talk about that, like, what happened? Where did this come from? So I am from Vegas, yes, okay, a native. Been here since I was three. I wasn't born. Wasn't born all my life, all your life. And so I was known as the girl who won a whole bunch of money to go to college. And my mom and I, we would go to the West Las Vegas Library, still standing now, about to have a new home. Yes, it is, but we would go to the West Las Vegas Library and look for scholarships at that time, you had to go to the to the reference area. You couldn't take them out. So with a pin a notebook, Mama and I would look every weekend from like my junior year in high school until I almost left for college, write down every scholarship, send those off. And that turned into about $30,000 this was in 1992 when I graduated from high school, and so about $30,000 in scholarships. But since then, I've come back home, attended here, my alma mater, at UNLV, and for my doctoral program, I want $150,000 in scholarships. Another master's degree that I won, another 50 plus $1,000 in scholarships. So altogether, I won $300,000 in scholarships. And so those experiences, that information, those details, I feel and believe that God gifted me with this opportunity and these skills turned over to helping others to do the exact same thing. And to I mean, they have far surpassed my little 300,000 okay, they make it look like, really, like chicken scratch in comparison. I have a student who just, we were able to release it. We're able to release it. She's in the Georgia area, but she got into over 130 colleges, including every state in the Union and the Virgin Islands four year universities, and she has banked now my largest she's my largest scholarship winner, at $4 million is what she has to date and counting, because she's still applying for scholarships. So like I said, they make my little 300,000 4 million. Yeah, 4 million. Ma'am, so when did she start? She started in eighth grade with me. Actually, okay, it is. It's so important, Leah, to start early, as you know, and you are a product of starting early. I

Leaha Crawford 5:15
am a product of starting early, but I got, you know, we're gonna leave that alone because I started early, but you got to have a willing participant. You got to have a willing participant. Yes, it is. And that's so funny you say that because the willing participant, you know, every once in a while, I get a message from him, so the willing participant, and he's going to laugh when I tell him, like, you know, you know, yeah, the bullying participant, that's all. I'll say a willing participant, because he has one scholarship he has. And actually, if I can get him to understand that he needs to do this, like the power of it, the power of it, but getting him to understand that he needs to do this, it will change his world. It will change his world. And I, I don't now, does she have a certain GPA, is it okay? Let's talk about that.

Speaker 2 6:03
So, you know, I've, I've written a number of books, and one of them is, is talking about the five easy steps to going to college for free. In the first easy step, Leah, is, we call it A's and A's, and it's not the end all be all in regard to winning scholarships, but grades should never, ever, ever be dismissed. And so yes, she isn't. We say an A and a student. We don't talk about A's and B's and B's and C's and EFG. We do talk about is A's and A's. And it's not that, you know always students do that, but when they're striving for a grades, they will absolutely never flunk. It's impossible. And so, you know, we're always striving for that. It's like they what is that quote, right? If you, if you reach for the for the moon, you may not catch it, but you'll be among the stars. So

Leaha Crawford 6:56
what about the C student? That C student? C

Speaker 2 6:58
students are great. They have scholarships for everyone. Okay,

Leaha Crawford 7:01
so that's what I'm working

Speaker 2 7:05
there's scholarships for everyone. There's scholarships that that you don't have to even be a student. I actually was just having a conversation with someone about that, and so I win scholarships all the time. In fact, I picked up a scholarship yesterday, one $250 so I win scholarships all the time myself, and I haven't been in school for 10 and a half years. So what

Leaha Crawford 7:24
do you want scholarships for? Though? I mean, what type of scholarships? What type of scholarships are you applying for?

Speaker 2 7:29
Well, like, there was this scholarship that just closed, and I've known about the scholarship for years, but I was actually honestly intimidated about this scholarship, but it is for 13 to 19 year olds, there's a $15,000 cash scholarship. And then for those who are over 19 until death, there's $100,000 scholarship. So I should have been applying for this scholarship, but I just couldn't do it. And I asking you for they want you to talk about how you are changing your community, how you're making a difference. It opens July 15. It's actually the pilot pin. You know the pilot pin? They have a scholarship that's called the over achievers scholarship, and it's open to anyone. You do not have to be a student, as long as you're age 13 and above. And they have two different categories, the over achiever scholarship by pilot. And so they just look for you. You can self nominate, or someone can nominate you, and then you have to hand write 1000 to 2000 words. And that's where they lost me, because I was like, I can't handwrite 10 words.

Leaha Crawford 8:41
Okay, they want you to use the pilot. Want you to use the pilot pit. They want you to use the pilot. Yes, ma'am, to write it. Yes, ma'am, as much as I've given the pilot over to you, exactly. I need to go ahead and apply for the scholarship. So say that again. So it opens up July 15,

Speaker 2 8:55
July 15. So it just closed December 15. So it's open from July 15 to December 5. So

Speaker 3 9:00
if you write 200 words a month, you good, see, why

Unknown Speaker 9:03
didn't I think of it like that? Get

Leaha Crawford 9:06
you some Go, go get you some loose leaf paper and write it real neat. Yeah,

Speaker 2 9:11
that was all. All of that was just freaking me out. But I don't know any students yet who have applied. I've been giving this scholarship out. I do workshops. I've been giving it out online. I tell everybody about this because I think it's amazing, and it's a demonstration that you don't have to be a student, anyone, anywhere in the entire world, but you have to be doing work in your community. That's important. That is one of the steps again, and that's important. But there's all kinds of scholarships like that, and there's 100 billion with a B, $100 billion in scholarships available every year. This is not over time, yearly renewable and we're right now in scholarship season. It's from January 1 to September 1, and this is where the multiple of billions are available, primarily during this time period. So you don't it's like, it's. Doesn't matter about citizenship. Again, it doesn't matter about age. It doesn't if you're a student or not. There is money and so yes, volunteering is very important. Giving back is very important. Being involved like you are, I'm see you. You know you got your lettuce paste across your child,

Leaha Crawford 10:17
because I am going to a community service event when we leave here, and I have to, I have to make sure, you know, I'm always doing community service, yes, just making sure that I am out there in a community, just doing stuff. You could get the $100,000 because I do that, and I do it regularly without and I volunteer on boards and a whole bunch of stuff. I love it.

Speaker 2 10:40
So when people are doing those kinds of things, it makes them very, very eligible. And so I do, I apply all the time. This talk that I'm doing on the 31st is talking about ways that you and yours can increase income. So it's scholarships, treasure ship and authorship, and that's like a way,

Leaha Crawford 11:01
scholarship, yes, let's say it again. Scholarship,

Speaker 2 11:05
treasure ship, yes, ma'am and authorship, those are three different things. They are different things, all

Leaha Crawford 11:11
right, so let's So Scott, well, we talked about scholarship just just having access and knowing that these scholarships are available for everyone. Um, treasure ship. What's

Speaker 2 11:21
this? So that's your missing money. Oh, one out of eight people have missing money, and they don't even know. So it's like people always say, Oh, my family doesn't come for money. There's a one in a chance that you do. And so if you will check in with your treasurer's office, wherever you are in the nation, you more than likely have money that's sitting there for you.

Leaha Crawford 11:47
Treasure ship, treasure ship,

Speaker 3 11:49
because I see you have a whole bookshelf over here.

Speaker 2 11:52
I do so I have several books. And you know, sometimes I can be intimidating. Writing can be intimidating for people, and I understand that, right? And so I do, I have, like, hundreds of pages in books, but there are actually ways that you can author and not even write anything. So I have a journal, anybody can pop on and do a journal anywhere, and you don't even have to have words in a journal. But this is a way that people can have a stream of income. They can create their own scholarships by becoming an author. If you do a children's book, it might be one word, maybe right, exactly right. And so you go, you let your online system create the picture. You do one word. Everybody can do that, but that can turn into an additional stream of income. It's one called mailbox money. I love it. I love it. I love it too. Girl, I

Leaha Crawford 12:43
love it. So you are listening to growth and grace. I am. Leah Crawford, we are sitting here today with the amazing Rhea Watson, and we are talking about a debt free college experience. And basically what she's talking about is another way, since you're sitting at home looking at Tiktok and and looking at face, book face, as I say, book face, Facebook and instant, I mean, just all the social media.

Speaker 2 13:05
I mean, this is something productive you can do with your time that can be income generating, absolutely, income generating. I I love it. So you said you're giving a talk later on this month. Let's talk about that. So where, so where are you speaking? Yeah, so it's at U swirl in Henderson, Nevada, and it is their building Black Business class. So they do that every month. It's actually the last Thursday of every month, and they have entrepreneurs to come in and say, kind of like, how did you use, again, your talent, your details, to create business. And so I'm gonna be able to share that. And so that's what it will be. Again, my talk is on an extended format. Your ship has come in scholarships, okay, treasure ship and authorship, and

Leaha Crawford 13:51
as you squirrel, so you squirrel, and Henderson, the one on Eastern, I

Speaker 2 13:55
think so. So you can it's registration is through Eventbrite, okay, so if you look for building Black Business class, or it's also the Willis, LV, Willis, and that's the it's easy to find, or you can always follow me. It's all on my social media. Okay, so

Leaha Crawford 14:13
let's talk about your social media. So what's your social we just told the people don't go to social media. What's your social media handles? So

Speaker 2 14:20
it's at scholarship. Dr at scholarship, Doctor, I'm on tick tock Instagram and X, aka Twitter. Of course, we on the book of face, right? Facebook as well. But you can find me everywhere at scholarship. Dr at scholarship. I love

Leaha Crawford 14:36
it. So it's the building Black Business class in this a use world. Yeah, oh, I got the address here. It's 797, 90. Coronavirus center. Drive, yep, um, suite 110, in Henderson, Nevada, 89052, and that's Thursday, january 30. From 630, to 830, p m, they can see you, and they can hear about scholarship, authorship and what's the attract? Treasure, treasure. But tomorrow, you're speaking tomorrow, so Sunday, you're doing something at the link I am so you talk about, I'm busy. It's been it's a good thing. Okay, so it's the Las Vegas kids business and fashion Expo, yes. And it's actually going on all weekend. So it started on Friday and it's over, that's Friday. Said Sunday, Monday.

Speaker 2 15:23
Yes. Okay, so in celebration and in connection with Dr King, yes. Okay, so, but yeah, this is really cool. And I love supporting, because not only are going to be entrepreneurs like myself, but there also are going to be kidpreneurs. So they're supporting where our children, who are entrepreneurial, who are looking to again, generate funds and to let people know about their little friendship bracelets and their nonprofit organizations,

Leaha Crawford 15:52
I need to thank you, because tomorrow, that's what Nasir and I are going to do. We're going to come look at the kidrons, because he has to be okay, right? We'll leave that alone. Yes, yes. The kid pre Nourse, whenever he's ready, is ready to go. That's all I can say. Whenever he is ready, he ready to go. He's all set up and ready to go. All he has

Speaker 2 16:12
to do is say, yes, you have been such a good mommy. Hey, yes. He coming around, but

Leaha Crawford 16:19
around. He needs to come around the corner faster. Come around the corner faster. Love him dearly, though. Love him dearly. So I love it. So for you, so you speak multiple languages too, Maria, I do so and I see sign language. You speak sign, you sign.

Speaker 2 16:36
You know it's like conversational but it's, I've been able to help some people, and that's always nice, okay, that's always, that's always a blend of those. You're fluent in Spanish. And yeah, people say I'm fluent in Spanish. Well, you think I got my bubble busted a little bit. When I went to the education like, department, I was like, Oh, let me look at this first grade book here in spit. Yeah, I couldn't say frog. I was just, yeah, just Yeah. So I took that

Leaha Crawford 17:04
away. No worries. I bet you, somebody say it to you again. You won't forget it, you won't forget

Speaker 2 17:11
it, you won't forget it. But, yes, no, but again, it's been a blessing to be you know, if I can give any tip, languages will always help you. It will always make you money. It will always get you scholarships. If there is anything that anyone could do, even conversationally, it is great. I feel so blessed with my nephew. He is English, Spanish, French, working on Japanese, doing that through again, digital platforms. He's nine, and it's and, you know, even though everything's not perfect, it is growing, and he continues to do that. So I tell anyone, any age, language, language language, it will always make you money. Language, language language, language, language, language, so you can be reached at 702-623-9500

Leaha Crawford 17:58
that's correct again, 70262395 026239500, so what we've heard today, basically, there's money out there. Yes, there's money out there. You just have to apply Absolutely. So the only thing that's stopping you is applying, finding it and apply for it. Apply. Let them say no. Let them say no. I tell

Speaker 2 18:23
people all the time, let them turn you down. What they're looking for, what they want, right? You don't have to judge yourself, don't. No one should. No, I and again, you guys, and they're

Leaha Crawford 18:32
not even judging you all you, I mean, and once you get the hang of you get the applying. I look, go ahead, take, take that with you. Go ahead. It's just on a wash and repeat, right? And and you get a check in the mail, you apply even more. That's what happened. That's what happens. That's what happens. They get they you do you get hooked because, I mean, but it's just applying. What do you find to be the number one reason why people don't apply is it just they don't know? Yeah,

Speaker 2 18:58
so it's definitely not understanding or realizing what's available, right? Again, when I tell someone you don't have to be a student to get a scholarship, they're like, Wait, What? What? And when I tell them, I apply for and win scholarships regularly and haven't been a student for over a decade, right? So people don't know that. They think, if you're not a high school senior, there's not availability if you're not going to college, like four year, which we love, we love our UNLV, right? But there's money for vocational school, technical school certification. So I always say, if it's something that you're going to grow a skill, and it costs money for that, let someone else pay for it. So it's definitely not knowing. So that's why I do what I do, right? And I try to do it on multiple platforms, and appreciate people like you who will let me come in and talk and let people know what's available and what's an option for them, right? So that's one, but really the biggest thing whenever I've been interviewed from Forbes, literally to you name it, right? Because you've been on test. Talks. Yes, you have a TED talk. I do anything that's like those type of of opportunities again, my community radio, I love it. But the one thing that people will say is, what is the key to winning a scholarship? Applying

Leaha Crawford 20:13
100% applying that's all like,

Speaker 2 20:17
Wait, that's all I have to do. So there are things to it. But literally, people stop themselves. So just because you apply you like among the creme de la creme. Well,

Leaha Crawford 20:27
let's talk about that, though. Because guess what? I guess what I got the other day, what the Nevadas, I think, is what, what is the credit union, Nevada State? Oh, my God. Because they have the the drawing contest that they put out every year, and they put all the drawings the winners in their calendar for the next year. Yes, Silver State School. Silver State School. That's what. That's what. It's Silver State schools. So you know what I did, right? Tell me. I took the calendar home and I gave it to Naseer, and I let him see that there was a first grader there, there was a ninth grader there. Very they drew pictures, yep. Then I went and found the applications that I had from years ago, and I said, See you did and you apply. This person, you did not apply. You didn't apply, and he just looked, but all you have to do is apply. All you have to do is apply. And we have this conversation, and he gets frustrated with me. I'm like, okay, all you have to do is apply.

Speaker 2 21:31
But if he could just see it and realize that this scholarships to me should be wealth building, they should be legacy bill, I

Leaha Crawford 21:41
told you what my goal was. I'm like, I need you to be a million dollar scholar. So if you are a million dollar scholar, dude, you can go, whatever you can do, whatever you want to do. That's

Speaker 2 21:49
the turf. That's the heading for this young lady who just became my largest scholarship winner. Meet the million. Excuse me, multi million dollar

Leaha Crawford 21:58
scholar. Meet the multi million because, but I guess they live well, it can't be me. Yes, it can be you. I tell people

Speaker 2 22:05
all the time, because people like, oh, like with my nephew. He's right now at about $70,000 in grants, scholarships, prizes, and they like, but Justin special. I say he's not, and people laugh. I was like, he is. I mean, of course, all of our children are special, but he's not extra special. He's not et he doesn't apply for everything. He doesn't even win everything, right? But with what he has done, this is where we are. Well,

Leaha Crawford 22:30
the interesting thing is, you know, one of the first scholarships that Nasir applied for, they won, yeah, and they got the red he got this red speaker. That speaker just went out. What just went out probably in the last six months, right? And I have to constantly remind him, because what the thing I would do is, when he would win, I would take him to the bank and let him deposit the check, yeah, and they would ask, how'd you win this money? He said, I wrote a scholarship. And I'm telling him, I'm like, you know, we can go to the bank if you just write the scholarship, because at the same time, you know? And I'm like, I I can't write it for you. You have to write this. But he gonna watch me do this one because I'm gonna make I'm gonna do it you. We're gonna sit across the table and you're gonna watch me work on a scholarship. Yes, I love it. Yeah, he's 14. He can work on one too. So yeah, right

Speaker 2 23:23
now more than he already won when he was six.

Leaha Crawford 23:27
You know, he won when he was six. No, the first one he won, I

Unknown Speaker 23:30
think he was four, he may have been, I was, I think he

Leaha Crawford 23:33
was four, and the second one he won, he was six, and he has his

Speaker 2 23:36
junior high and he and that's coming up again. So I know he won it already, so now he has his last year,

Leaha Crawford 23:41
last year, and yeah, so he can do that, and for him, I guess what I look at too is Rhea also gives advice to parents and helping us to navigate this, because being a first generation college student, we understand it's challenging when You don't, you don't know what you don't know, you don't know, you don't know what you don't know. And college, that's if that's your choice. Well, with anything you got to maneuver through, and you got, I mean, just having someone there, someone that you can talk to, yeah, and ask the questions and you don't no question is a dumb question. Never, ever. So you can get those you know, you don't have to chat GPT and all those other places and

Speaker 2 24:22
talk to a live person, and I will help you, and we

Leaha Crawford 24:25
appreciate that. All right, so you are listening to growth and grace. I am Leah Crawford. We are sitting here today talking about even, I mean, not only just a debt free college education, but another stream of income, just applying for scholarships, because you don't have to be a college student. What she said, basically, you just have to apply, yes, find something that fits. Just have to apply Absolutely.

Speaker 2 24:51
So are you an entrepreneur in wanting to fund your business always? Are you wanting to do renovations on your home? Right? Are you in need of a new vehicle, right? Are you someone who is wanting to travel? All of those things are available through scholarship. If you get $100,000 cash and they say, Here you go with no question, here you go and pay your taxes, right? Of course, the rest of it is yours. I

Leaha Crawford 25:20
honestly but even there right now, you got zero. So even if you do have to pay taxes on it, you still have more money than what you started with. All right. Well, Ray, you know, I always appreciate, I appreciate you taking the time to come and talk to us, to talk to us, especially about this, because I think that this is intimidating for a lot of people. We don't know what we don't know now, you have been exposed. Yes, you have been exposed the Tripoli, so I would just tell you, I mean, you're exposed experience and education. That's why expose your experience. They all go together, they all go together. But you've been exposed. Gotta be exposed to have the experience and the experience to give you a good education, because I call my entrepreneurship baptism, baptism by fire, right? It's baptism because you don't know what you don't know and when you like Well, I gotta do what? Alright? Instead of me arguing, let me just figure out what you need me to do, and let me just jump to another hoop, because you keep you know, just being an entrepreneur. What I can say is,

Speaker 2 26:19
I appreciate you. Thank you. But I have one more question, because we are almost out of time, please go over your website. Give me your website. My website is my scholarship solutions.com. Again, my singular scholarship, singular solutions, plural.com. My scholarship solutions.com

Leaha Crawford 26:39
and we went over the events. I'm gonna go over those again. So tomorrow you will be at the Las Vegas kids and business expo that is at the link, at the link, at the link, yep, um, you're also going to be at swirl. You swirl, you swirl, on january 30, from 630 to 830 that's 790 Corona Coronado center, 110 at Henderson, Nevada. And are you going to be in the parade this one Monday? Young you are so she will also be in the MLK Day Parade this weekend. I can tell you, I want to send a shout out to my sisters of Alpha Kappa, Alpha Sorority Incorporated, we are marching in the parade. So if you want to see us, I will be in the parade this weekend, giving out pearls. Yeah, and just we're giving out we give out pearls every year. No longer candy. We give out pearls to the little girls. But we will be out and about. Everybody. Be safe this weekend. Stay warm. You are listening to growth and grace. I am Leah Crawford, I can tell you. Have a blessed a blessed and amazing weekend until next week. Y'all, bye, bye.